How to Draw the Alphabet in Block Letters

By Renee Gerber

Learning how to draw the alphabet in different styles is an ideal way for graphic artists to expand on their skills. Many companies use block letters in eye-popping colors to draw in potential customers. If you are an aspiring graphic designer or art student or you just enjoy drawing as a hobby in your spare time, you might want to learn to create the alphabet in block letters.

With a pencil, print the letters of the alphabet on a clean piece of sketch paper, being careful to leave enough space between the letters so that you can add to them when you incorporate the block effects later.

Add an outline around each letter. Keep an eraser handy in case you make a mistake. Use straight lines to outline angular letters and rounded lines to outline rounded letters; alternatively, you may keep all the outlines angular. The way you design your lettering is all up to you as an artist.

Draw squarish shapes around each letter to give it a block-like appearance. Overlap each letter that appears on one line of your paper. For instance, if you have the letters A, B, C and D on the first line, make sure each letter overlaps the one beside it. This will give your alphabet a three-dimensional effect.

Mark a spot that will be your point of perspective, or vanishing point, either above or below your letters. Draw a line from each corner of each letter to that point, creating a triangular shape with the point of perspective at the tip. This will elongate the letters and create depth.

Draw a light, horizontal line across the triangle, using a ruler as a guide, at the point where you want your 3-D effect to stop. Erase the remainder of the triangle between the horizontal line and the point of perspective. This will give your letters an even more block-like appearance.

Add shading to your letters. Use the tip of your pencil to create a dark shading effect and the side of your pencil's tip to make lighter shading. Make all the shadows run in the same direction. When you are finished, this will give your alphabet the illusion of zooming right up and off the paper!

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About the Author

Renee Gerber has over 14 years of editorial experience and is an editor for a sports website. She has published several articles on pro-wrestling at BleacherReport.com and other websites. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism at Baruch College in 2001 and is enrolled in a program to obtain a certificate in digital design.